Witch Heart

CHAPTER SIX

Somewhere near the exit signs for the house on the Rock in Wisconsin, that's when the Atrika caught up with them.

Adam had been driving while Theo rode shotgun. It was strange seeing Theo in a car, since he normally drove a bike — a Harley Night Rod, to be exact. He looked uncomfortable in something with four wheels, like he had a touch of claustrophobia.

There could only be one they're she could be referring to. Damn, dirty demons.

"I thought we lost them. How did they catch up with us?" She turned around, staring down the black highway behind them. Her accent was odd, overly rounded vowels and flat consonants. It was unlike anything he'd ever heard before.

He caught her gaze in the mirror and narrowed his eyes. "How do you know they're behind us?"

She drew her full lower lip between her teeth. They hadn't had much in the way of orthodontics on Eudae, but her teeth were pretty naturally straight anyway. "I can feel them, like a tingle in the center of me. It's Rue's magick maybe. The elium." She shook her head violently, curls flying. "There's so much about this magick I don't understand yet. I need a quiet place to explore it."

"Hey, it's okay." He tried to calm the edge of panic in her voice. "Just answer me one thing. Do you think they can track you magickally?"

She thought for a moment. "No. I don't think so. I'm actually not totally sure what they can do with blood magick, but if it was that easy to track me they would've found me in Chicago before the police brought me to the hospital." She bit her lip again. "Although I did move around a lot, so… I'm not sure."

"Well we're about to find out. Hold on." He swerved toward an exit at the last minute and gunned the engine hard. Beside him, Theo grabbed the armrest. All the cars behind them, save a black SUV, passed the exit.

Seeing no other cars and none of the ever-vigilant Wisconsin patrolmen in sight, he ignored the stop sign at the top of the ramp and guided the vehicle down a small two-lane road into the hills. Evergreens whipped past in the glow of the headlights. Evening had settled not long before.

The trees didn't lack for water, Adam could feel it. Fire witches were always hyperaware of their surroundings and how well a place would burn. This area had received a lot of water lately. That was good. He didn't want to use fire against the demons, but if it came down to it he didn't have to worry about starting a forest fire.

"Adam." Claire's voice quivered.

Adam pushed the accelerator almost to the floor. The trees flew faster.

"Adam!"

He looked in the rearview mirror. Claire's blue eyes were wide, her already pale face paler, and her lips compressed. Every muscle in her body seemed taut as she stared at the road in front of them. "What is it?"

Theo shifted in his seat. "This is probably only the second time the woman's ever been in a car and you're trying to break the land speed record."

The black dot in his rearview was getting bigger. His gaze flicked to Claire. "I'm sorry. You can have a panic attack when we're free of these guys, okay?"

She dragged her gaze to his and forced her jaw to unlock. "It's fine. Do what you have to do."

He did. Slowing down just enough not to tip the car, he took a corner fast and hard. Thank the gods for remote parts of Wisconsin. Where they were now was blessedly uninhabited.

They breezed past a motel that would have been a great set for a horror movie and then more trees. As soon as Adam found the right spot, he slowed and guided the car off road.

"Are you all right?" He glanced at Claire.

"Better." Her face was green, belying her answer.

He went slowly now, over huge bumps that knocked his teeth together and enduring the branches scraping the paint off Thomas's Mercedes S550. Finally, he was deep enough in to not be seen. He hoped. Adam turned off the headlights and cut the engine.

He shifted, fingers itching to hold his sword, which he'd stashed behind the front seat. Honestly, going head-to-head with two demons right now was not the wisest course of action. They weren't ready to face creatures who could regenerate limbs, heal almost any wound, and had almost zero vulnerabilities… not yet.

It was best to hope that the Atrika passed them by, gave them time to plan and prepare. That didn't stop Adam from wanting action, though. Like Thomas had wanted it. Like Theo wanted it. Now Theo sat hunched over in his seat, fists clenched, jaw locked.

But sometimes good sense had to win out over testosterone.

He adjusted the mirror to reflect into the back seat. There, Claire took deep, measured breaths with her eyes closed. For being plunked down into an alien world and into a life-or-death situation simultaneously, Adam thought she was doing exceptionally well.

He let his gaze trace the curve of her cheek. She was brave. Pretty, too, in an unconventional way. She wore no makeup to speak of and, by the looks of her creamy, clear complexion, probably never had. Her dark hair hung to her narrow shoulders in a tangle of natural curl. Her face was heart-shaped, chin coming to a sharp little point. A long — nearly too long for attractiveness — nose sat atop a nicely shaped mouth, bottom lip much fuller than the top.

Adam noticed women. All the time.

Even when he'd been deeply and insanely in love with his wife, he'd noticed them. He'd never been unfaithful in his life, but no woman escaped his eye. Claire was very attractive in a pixielike way. She was small, which made him instantly want to protect her.

His stomach tightened. He wondered what she'd had to endure in her life. It couldn't have been easy to survive as the only elemental witch on Eudae.

Her eyes popped open to find his in the rearview mirror. Their gazes caught, locked. Adam almost fell into the power of her blue eyes. Oh, there was a lot to this woman… much more than he'd seen so far.

"They're near," she whispered. Her voice in the quiet sent a shiver up his spine.

Theo straightened and Adam snapped to attention, glimpsing the slow-moving headlights of a car on the road behind them, just barely visible through the foliage.

"Fuck," he murmured. They were trolling for them. The demons knew they'd gone to ground. The car rolled slowly past and he let out the breath of air he'd been holding.

Then the car stopped.

Claire turned in her seat to watch through the leaves. They could see nothing but swatches of light, but the low idle of the SUV's engine reached their ears.

The vehicle backed up a little and halted on the road parallel to their position.

"Out," said Theo in his low, gravelly voice. "We need to get out now."

He was right, there was nowhere for Adam to move the car. He'd gone all in for this poker game, tried for a bluff. Apparently, he'd lost. "Yeah."

Quietly, they opened the doors and slid out. Claire grabbed their sword sheaths and handed them over to Adam and Theo once they were clear of the car. Behind them, the SUV's engine stopped.

Leaves and dead plant matter crunching under their feet as they made their way into the darkening gloom. The chill in the air kissed their skin and showed their breath white in the early spring air.

As they hunkered behind some brush, Claire shivered beside Adam. He channeled a little heat, the seat of his magick in the center of his chest pulsing a bit, and sent it through his arms, hands, and chest. Then he pulled Claire toward him, wrapping her in a close embrace. She stiffened against him at first and started to push away, but then melded to his body like warmed candle wax.

More footsteps on the winter dead Wisconsin ground. Demon footsteps. Growing nearer and nearer.

Motionless, Claire in his arms, Adam watched through the brush as the demons approached the car. One had his hand on the trunk. The other one, the tall blond one, was nearing the driver's side.

Pulling away from Claire, Adam stood and shot a fire bolt in the direction of the car's gas tank. It hit in a white-hot explosion.

Thomas's ninety thousand dollar car blew up, the demons along with it.

"Oh, Houses?" Claire breathed, shooting up to stand beside him.

Adam didn't know what houses had to do with anything.

She cringed against him, covering her eyes from the brightness of the blaze, and Adam held her close, protecting the side of her head with his hand.

Theo's lips curved in a rare smile. "Nice shot. Don't know how the bossman will feel about it, but nice shot all the same."

Adam grinned cheerfully. "Thanks. Let's just hope those bozos left the keys in the SUV. Otherwise, we've got a long walk."

Theo's grin deepened. "No. I can hot-wire it."

Adam cast him a sidelong look and mocked, "Why Theodosius Winters, I declare! You shock me!"

Apparently, Theo's short stint of verbosity had come to an end. He simply strode forward, toward the crispy demons.

Adam and Claire followed. They had to get out of here before the fire was noticed.

As they skirted the vehicle, Adam increased the heat of the fire. He wanted no trace of that car left to lead back to Thomas Monahan or the Coven.

"God, demon magick is putrid," said Theo. "I had hoped to never again have that stink in my nose."

"You're not the only one," Adam answered.

Theo raised his hand, also expending magick to clear a ring around the sedan with his earth abilities. It ensured the fire couldn't jump to the nearby trees and bushes. True, this area had received a lot of moisture recently, but better safe than sorry.

The authorities would no doubt wonder about the strange ring, but humans were notorious for finding plausible answers for implausible occurrences.

The two demons had been thrown back in the explosion and now lay burned and smoking not far from the vehicle. Damn it. Adam had been sure they'd been mostly incinerated in the initial blast. One of the demon's legs was on fire. Both lay at unnatural angles, eyes open.

Maybe this whole thing would be over before it had even begun and they could get back to the Coven. Although they needed to do something with the bodies. Humans found answers for the implausible, sure, but if they decided to do an autopsy on these guys… There wasn't any explaining away acidic blood.

"They're not dead, Adam, even though they look it," said Claire as they passed. "They've gone into a type of coma that happens when their kind sustains a bad injury. They're regenerating right now and they'll soon recover."

Adam stopped short, remembering Thomas and Isabelle telling him of the motorcycle crash that Isabelle had initiated in an attempt to kill the last Atrika. Erasmus Boyle had lain prone on the road for a time, too — thought dead before he'd woken up and poofed Isabelle right out of Thomas's arms.

"Really? Fuck." He pushed a hand through his hair and tried to mask his disappointment. "That sucks. I guess thinking this could be over quick was too optimistic. The Terminator has nothing on these guys."

Claire just frowned at him. Pop culture references were a little lost on her.

He drew his sword from the sheath he carried. "Then let's make sure we give them a wound they can't recover from." He grinned. "These fuckers might be immortal, but I want to see one try to regrow its head. Theo, please take Claire to the SUV. I'll be right there."

Theo guided Claire away and Adam turned toward the prone demons. This wouldn't take long. Just a little chop here and one over there, heads would roll, and he would duck the spraying acidic blood. Then he would puke, and they could all go back to Chicago. It was a great plan.

Simple. Clean. Efficient. Perfect.

Sword grip clenched in his hand he approached the one whose leg was doing its best to burn to ash and tried not to gag from the stench of baked demon. Ironically, according to Micah's sources, Atrika loved the aroma of cooking aeamon. Probably serve it up with chutney and a nice white wine.

He stood near Demon One's head, feet spread, and readied his sword for a death blow. The thing's blue eyes stared blankly up at him. He sure as fuck looked deceased. Adam raised his sword.

The thing blinked and his eyes focused on him. A hand snaked out and grabbed his leg.

Damn it! He'd betrayed a cardinal rule of horror movies and now he paid for it! Never go near the monster, even if it looked dead.

Adam brought his sword down fast and hard, but the demon let go of him and rolled to the side. His blade bit soil and dead leaves. From his left, movement caught his eye. The other demon was moving, too.

Damn short comas.

Tires slid on the ground behind him. He whirled to see the back door pop open and Claire, pale-faced, motioning to him. "Come on! Get in!"

His hands tightened on his sword and he looked back toward the creatures. The demon he'd tried to skewer growled and turned his head toward Adam. His eyes were glowing red. That meant the demon was in a killing rage. He remembered that clearly from the last Atrika he'd fought. The other one lurched to stand about four feet away, his lips curled back and fangs extended.

When were demons not in a killing rage?

"Adam!"

Demon One — the blond one — snarled.